Bryan Clay

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ASSOCIATED PRESS / JULY 2004 Bryan Clay, who won the men's decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif., is the first person to attend a Hawaii high school and win an Olympic track and field medal.

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Olympian had
the mettle to medal

Bryan Clay is so fast he arrived four years early.

The Star-Bulletin recognizes 10 individuals who have changed Hawaii this year

Athens was not supposed to be his stage. Maybe, if everything went right, Beijing in 2008.

But there he was at the Olympics last summer, just a few years removed from his days as a feisty, asthmatic Kaneohe kid who didn't always play nicely with others.

His mother got him involved in track and field because he was too rowdy for team sports. Clay, with the help of coach Martin Hee and others, molded himself into the best track athlete in Hawaii history.

He won the silver medal in the decathlon, one spot away from the unofficial title of "World's Greatest Athlete." Clay, born in Austin, Texas, the son of an African American and a Japanese American, spent most of his childhood in Hawaii. After stardom at Castle High School and Azusa Pacific, he became the first product of a Hawaii high school to win an Olympic track and field medal.

He did it with a reserved but confident dignity that made a state that cares little about track learn the 10 events that comprise the decathlon. And he did it with the help of four local businessmen who helped support him financially during his arduous training.

It took time for Clay's story to gain attention outside of Hawaii.

The world media focused on fellow American Tom Pappas' injury and Greek heritage, while Clay (who beat Pappas at the U.S. Trials) -- young at 24 for a world-class decathlete, as well as small -- quietly and steadily gathered points through the grueling two-day event.

Clay put himself in position for the silver medal going into the final event, the 1,500 meters. Clay, who by far was not the best distance runner among the competitors, hung on to win the precious metal.

Oh, and he did it drug-free, too. He won't even take asthma medicine, for fear of a failed test.

Some might view the decathlon as the ultimate ego trip, since it is an individual attempting to master 10 individual events. But decathletes are the most fraternal of track and field athletes. Even during the Olympics they share advice and encouragement. And Bryan Clay was sure to thank all those who helped him along the way.

It seems the kid who couldn't get along has come a long way -- and down a path no one before him had traveled.